I never thought I would really meet her. I no longer listen to Sarah’s music, but for a LARGE part of my life, Sarah meant everything to me. Sarah’s music was the way I learned that I had a voice. I took my mom to her very first concert to Lilith Fair. I sang “I Will Remember You” at both one of my best friend’s grads and at my aunt’s funeral. Sarah’s has always been my only real icon of the youth I loved and hated and fought through. She was often the woman I looked to to show me how to follow my dreams and use my words and voice to communicate what I am passionate about in this life. She is the only person I have ever owned a poster of.

I never thought it would really mean anything to me to meet her. I had never considered it. But that’s the way it is with the great times in life that take you by surprise and take your breath away. I was literally panting (I’m sure she thought that was hot) while I met her, had cheese and wine breath and just kept saying “Thank you for your work.” It strikes me odd that I would say “Thank you for your work.” But now as I am a mother and an artist and an entrepreneur, I really see how all this work I put in, transfers into many things for many people. My work turns into money for our family, inspiration to teens and other women, a way of learning life that is often so challenging for me, a way to form professional friendships and many other unknown forms of energy that move into the world and affect every person I encounter. Sarah has no idea what her music meant to me, but I am so grateful to have met her last night.

When you give, things come back to you again and again. I gave a piece of art to Unite with Art which is a huge fundraiser for children living with AIDS. Last week, a client found me through their website and then I got to meet thier interior designer. I then got to be at the gala, make a connection with a woman artist whom I greatly admire, and then meet Sarah McLachlan!The Greatest Salesman in the World suggests that you give away half of your worldly possesions. How much would we recieve if we were to give that much? For now, give what you can, and one day, you too may meet Sarah McLachlan!

Having just celebrated ourfirst birthday, we are feeling a bit reminiscent! Over the next few days, expect to see some of our favourite posts from the past year… starting with tampons.

Well, ladies, if you have been considering starting a blog, I have news that may tip the scale for you. You can get free tampons. Really, if that doesn’t convince you…

This morning FedEx delivered a big box that held a tote bag filled with all sorts of goodies… and a crazy number of tampons.

Shortly after we launched LOADED BOW Zoe and I received an email from a word of mouth marketing company out of Toronto. After playing phone tag for a few weeks, we connected with one of the women working on the project. We were asked if we would be interested in receiving a promotional package from o.b., and in return, we would need to talk about the products. She made it very clear that whatever we had to say could be positive or negative.

Considering that Zoe is pregnant, I got dibs on this particular ‘assignment’.

My initial reaction was that I really don’t have that much to say about tampons. Then the WOM lady pointed out the difference in waste between a traditional tampon and an o.b. tampon. That, I can talk about.

A few minutes of online research reveals that the average woman will use approximately 10,000 tamponsover the course of her lifetime. That is a whole lotta applicators being flushed down the toilet. Literally. Currently, o.b. is the only tampon in Canada and the US that doesn’t have an applicator. That is something I can advocate for. There are feminine hygiene products are are far more eco-friendly than o.b. tampons, like The Keeper, but for those of you who are a bit squeamish, applicator-free tampons just may be a good place to start.

I have been puttering around the o.b. site for the last few minutes and I just finished watching a little animation with an ant that is supposed to be analogous to an o.b. tampon. The screen then reads: try carrying an elephant in your purse and you’ll know how it feels. I have carried tampons in my purse for years and not once has it crossed my mind that it felt like lugging around a large mammal. On occassion, I feel this way when I have crammed my laptop in with a bottle of wine, but never about tampons. No need to be so melodramatic, o.b. people. Focus on the difference in waste and the cute little carrying package (see below) that protect your tampons (because I have pulled tampons out of my purse – in public no less – that had fallen out of their wrapper, and that I could do without).

If you’d like to try these nifty little things you can get samples in Canada and the US.

And, of course, we can’t forget our crash course in blogging, learning along the way from the best. We hammered out a name, had ourselves a photo shoot, stumbled upon a logo, and found ourselves a mentor. Most importantly, we met incredible women doing incredible things.

We have big plans up our sleeve for the next year, and are set to keep meeting these amazing ladies. Thanks for all the help we’ve received thus far!